The Night of Conflict

Julian broke into a white house without doors and curtains at midnight. Quietly scaling the wall, he entered directly into a room. However, it seemed the owner of the house was still awake, deeply engrossed in the pages of a book in the same room.

Corwin: Welcome, visitor. Do you need a room to spend the night? There are plenty of rooms here.

Julian, startled to see someone in front of him, grabbed a nearby vase.

Julian: I’m not here to spend the night. I don’t need anything. I’m leaving."

Corwin: Don’t be afraid, young boy. I won’t harm you. If you have a specific purpose for coming here, you may fulfill it. Tell me, what do you need?"

Julian: Actually, I’m a thief. I steal things.

Corwin began to laugh, expressing skepticism toward the visitor.

Corwin: What do you steal?"

Julian: I steal valuable things. It’s my profession, and it’s how I make my living."

Corwin: There’s nothing valuable in this house for you, except books, bits of tobacco, a guitar, old diaries, and some furniture."

Julian: Then I’ll leave. I never steal from places where someone is watching me."

Corwin: You can stay with me tonight. I haven’t spent a night with another human being in the past twelve years. It’s freezing outside, and you might fall ill."

Julian: You’re strange. You say strange things. Your house is strange too, without curtains or doors. A house needs doors and curtains. You should keep things hidden from thieves."

Corwin: There’s nothing here to hide. Look at those flowers outside, young man. Do they hide their beauty and fragrance? Do the winds hide their coolness and melody? Do rivers hide their water? Does the sky hide its clouds? Does fire hide its warmth? I see nothing here worth hiding."

Julian stared at the man in front of him, perhaps never imagining he’d meet someone like him. Still in awe, he put the vase back in its place.

Julian: Humans hide everything, even things that don’t belong to them."

Corwin: Humans deny their own existence. They are caught in confusion because they only know how to choose things."

Julian: Is hiding things a result of humanity’s tendency to choose? Is it their desire to hide things or let them remain as they are?"

Corwin: Desires? No one in this world has any true desires. Everyone is forced to choose something. Do you have any desires?"

Julian fell silent and sat comfortably on a chair next to Corwin.

Julian: When I was a child, I wanted to become a ship’s captain. My father wanted the same. Then I changed my desire; I wanted to become a doctor. Again, I changed my desire; I wanted to do business. My desires kept changing, and now I’ve become a thief. Though, being a thief was never my desire."

Corwin: Your desires kept changing at every stage of life, meaning you never truly had any desire. You simply kept choosing from what was in front of you. When you became confused, you stopped choosing."

Julian: I believe everyone has desires. Life doesn’t run solely on choosing things. What’s the reality of living without desires?"

Corwin: You might be right. But think, why do your desires only stem from what’s visible to you? What if you had no choices at all? You never desired to become a thief, but still, you’re living as one. You could’ve chosen to be a robber, a mafia member, a murderer, or something worse. But you only chose to steal."

Julian: I lost my family to a tsunami in my childhood. To survive, I had to do something. And stealing is the only thing I’m good at. This is the first time I’ve been caught red-handed."

Corwin: I also lost my family to an accident twelve years ago. But I didn’t become a thief."

Julian: (Thinking for a moment) "I don’t know what to say. You also lost everything, your loved ones. Maybe stealing is a better choice compared to all the worse things I could’ve done."

Corwin: So, you chose stealing? Do you consider yourself a good person?"

Julian: "No! I’m a thief. How can a thief be a good person?"

Corwin: Thieves can also become good people. You still have plenty of choices. You can choose something good."
Because humans are bound to choose. What you choose is up to you.

Julian gazed at his host in astonishment. Corwin, now smoking tobacco, smiled and said, "I chose tobacco because it’s less harmful compared to other intoxicants."

And they both laughed.

That night, Julian possibly enjoyed the most pleasant and peaceful sleep of his life. As soon as morning arrived, Corwin bid farewell to his guest and promised to meet him again.

He looked at Corwin one last time. Tears gently streamed down his eyes, a quiet reflection of his regret over his choices. For a moment, he contemplated the possibilities of choosing something else. He was no longer lost merely in the shadows of the past.